Preston North End starlet dazzles with spectacular goal compared to Giorgi Kinkladze
Former PNE man David Healy was stunned with the goal.
Preston North End youngster Kitt Nelson put in a stunning performance at Linfield on Saturday, with manager David Healy comparing his goal to Manchester City legend Giorgi Kinkladze.
Midfielder Nelson, 21, joined Northern Irish Premiership stalwarts Linfield on loan for the season towards the end of the summer transfer window, linking up with former Preston striker Healy, the club's long-term manager.
After a slow start as he got a feel for things, Nelson has now started the last 10 games in succession and is yet to lose in any of his appearances.
Healy has been manager of the South Belfast club since 2015 and has won them six league titles in the past 10 years, with Saturday's 3-0 win over rivals Coleraine seeing them climb to the top of the table.
Nelson was the star of the show at Windsor Park. He set up the opening goal for Rhys Brennan with a first-time ball across the box, before teeing Adam Frizzell up to sweep home the second.
The stand-out moment, however, came in the 73rd minute when Nelson tricked his way into the box, got past a defender, sent another and the goalkeeper sprawling with a cut back before tapping in for a sensational goal. Unsurprisingly, he was named Man of the Match.
Healy loved it, telling Linfield TV after the game: "Kitt Nelson's last goal was reminiscent of something you would see, George McCartney said it, about Giorgi Kinkladze.
"But I don't think Kitt knows who Giorgi Kinkladze was back in the 90s when he was playing for Man City, where he glided in and chopped, chopped.
"I was hoping he was going to hit it maybe sooner, but he was cool, calm, composed and got a big goal for us.
"Kitt Nelson's a player that we've wanted to sign for 18 months, so we were pleased to get that tied up in the summer."
Talking through his goal, Nelson added: "I can't really remember it, to be fair. I just kept running. Last minute, I decided to chop it back and luckily the defender's gone for it. So just happy to score, really."
Nelson is loving life at Lindfield
It's the third time Nelson has left Deepdale on loan, his first coming in the 2023-24 season at NPL Premier Division outfit Workington, where he scored four times in 27 outings.
In 2025, he headed out to Cork City, where he again got amongst the goals with six in 37, making him the club's joint-top scorer for the season, alongside another former North End striker in Sean Maguire.
That spell lasted between February and November last year, but Nelson then went until August without competing in senior matches.
He was an unused substitute on a number of occasions under Paul Heckingbottom without making his debut, with his first-team involvement limiting his minutes for the academy sides as well.
Now back out and playing football, Nelson, who has scored twice in 12 games, is really enjoying himself.
"I've loved it," he told Linfield TV. "Been really easy. It's a really good group of lads. Not the biggest squad but all the characters in there. It's a really good environment. It's been really easy.
"Loving it [playing at Windsor Park] the pitch is really good and atmospheres like tonight as well. Fantastic. You can see the place is bouncing when you get results like this."
On the win over Coleraine, he added: "Just delighted really. I think, after last Saturday, I thought we were a bit easy to play against off the ball.
"I think today we came back to our strength where we were so hard to play against. Three good goals again and another big win."
Nelson’s contract at Preston runs until 2028.
Michael Ayodele heads out on loan
Nelson is not the only PNE youngster out on loan at present, as promising striker Michael Ayodele headed out to Bamber Bridge on Saturday.
The teenager has been amongst the goals for the Under-19s this season and will now get his first taste of senior football playing for Preston legend Paul McKenna at Irongate.
The work experience loan is for a month and Ayodele went straight into the starting XI for Saturday's narrow 1-0 defeat to Bury.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Li-Bau Stowell and striker Max Wilson are on loan at Chorley.